Sword Art Online
by Hannah L-Sama
Summary: Ikuto is lucky to have gotten a hold of one of the limited 10,000 copies of the newest international sensation, Sword Art Online, and even luckier to have been a beta tester. However, this game has a catch. Once in, he and the other 9,999 players are unable to log out. To escape, he and the players must defeat the game - double catch? If you die in the game, you die for real.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The door closed with a soft _click _as Ikuto slid it shut, blocking him off from the outside world. He turned to face his room, with his bed in one corner, a desk with a laptop streaming the newest episode of the gaming show, _MMO Stream, _and a lone bookcase in the opposite corner. Footsteps echoed across the room as he approached his desk and sat down, idly watching the reporter, a perky blonde, speak about the latest gaming craze.

"_Internationally famous Sword Art Online is the first game to fully take advantage of the NerveGear hardware! This game is the VRMMORPG everyone has been waiting for! One guy said he waited in line for three whole days!"_

Ikuto picked up a magazine, flipping through it, trying to distract him mind from his bubbling emotions. He stopped at a picture of a man, posing in front of a _Sword Art Online _poster. The caption read _Kazoumi Hoshina, Developer and Creator of Sword Art Online. _A frown appeared on his face and he tossed the magazine back on the desk.

He impatiently glanced at the clock. 12:55, Sunday, October 6, 2022.

_Only a few more minutes_, he thought to himself.

He stood, carefully picking up a helmet-like device off of his desk. Dark green in color, it closely resembled a fancy motorcycle helmet, except for the wire attached, the lights on the side, and the word "NerveGear" boldly emblazoned in dark text on the back. Also, instead of having a full piece of glass covering the face, a semi-transparent plate covered the eyes, leaving the nose, mouth and chin exposed.

He shut his laptop and plugged in his NerveGear to the console. Laying down on his bed, he watched the power light spring to life as it turned on.

He put the helmet over his head and made himself comfortable. Glancing at the display on the screen, he saw it was 1:00.

He finally allowed himself a smile – though it came out as more of a smirk.

"Link start!"

And the machine roared to life.

The screen lit up, and he quickly navigated through the opening procedures – selecting his language, signing in, testing his senses, and selecting his settings.

_Welcome! _Text appeared on the screen. Colorful shapes flew past him, and everything went black.

* * *

It felt like waking up.

As he slowly opened his eyes, his senses slowly returned to him. Everything was blurry. Voices faded into his range of hearing, his heartbeat pounded in his ears, and oxygen filled his lungs.

As his vision cleared, he began to look around. He was in some sort of courtyard, the walls made of brick and stone. A massive fountain was behind him, dominating the center of the space. The courtyard was large, looking like it could hold thousands of people.

He glanced down, noticing his leather boots, pants, shirt, and simple armor. He brought his hands in front of his face, seeing that he was wearing leather fingerless gloves.

He tentatively wiggled his fingers, and then gave his fists an experimental squeeze. He could feel everything.

A small smile alighted to his face as fireworks went off above him and more people materialized around him, flashing into existence with a blue-green light.

_Welcome to Sword Art Online!_

They were the first. The first players playing the game, the first to explore this new world. He couldn't wait to get started.

He turned and began to head out of the courtyard, a confident spring in his step.


	2. Chapter 1: A God's Game

**Hello! **

**Welcome back to SAO! I'm guessing that my old readers will end up here, since you'll get the alert for this chapter. So, thank you for your patience and bearing with me while I did this :) **

**Please go back to chapter 1 and read the prologue before reading this chapter. **

**Again, thank you guys, and enjoy the story! I've got a great plot planned out for you guys :D**

* * *

Chapter 1: A God's Game

_Virtual Reality: a realistic simulation of an environment, including three-dimensional graphics, by a computer system using interactive software and hardware. _

Ikuto smiled to himself as he swung his sword, the movements feeling just as physical as they would in the real world. He held it back, charging up his strike, as the boar charged at him again, feeling the leather of the sword's grip in his hands.

He swung it just as the boar was within range, perfectly timed. A flash of blue energy signified the strike, and a red-lined wound appeared on the boar, just before it exploded into a mass of blue light shards.

A window popped up, telling him what he'd received, and he hit the 'ok' button, a blue circle, after he'd scanned the message. The window disappeared.

Ikuto glanced down at his sword. He'd picked out a simple one for his first – basic, but strong enough to give him what he needed. He experimentally held it at position, and watched as the blue energy began to build up, causing the blade to glow blue.

He released it, swinging in front of him across his body, watching the flame-like blue tendrils trail behind the blade as it traveled. He gave a small smirk to himself, sheathing it.

"You look like you know what you're doing."

Ikuto turned, seeing a player standing behind him.

The player tilted his head, a few strands of brunet hair falling into his eyes.

"Hello, my name is Tadase. Who are you?"

Ikuto gave the player a casual glance; scanning his info and stats. The bar hovering over his head was green, signifying he had full health. _Tadase,_ the name read.

"Ikuto." He replied at length, cordial and to-the-point.

Tadase nodded, bowing his head. "Pleased to meet you, Ikuto. Judging by your actions, you seem to be quite familiar with this game. Were you a beta tester, by any chance?"

"I was." He answered.

"Could I ask you a favor? I'm a bit new to this technology and I'd like to get some tips from an experienced player."

"Not interested, thanks." Ikuto turned away.

"Please? It's my first full dive."

Pausing, Ikuto glanced back.

He sighed. "Fine."

This brought a smile to the brunet's face.

* * *

Utau swung her weapon, a flash of sunshine yellow trailing behind it.

She struck her target, a mountain lion, and sent it reeling back towards her partner, Amu, who finished it off quickly with a strike from her own sword.

The big cat disappeared, and Amu tapped through the box that listed their rewards.

"Great job!" Utau offered her partner a smile.

She grinned back. "You were right, Utau! This game is awesome!"

The blonde nodded. Having been friends with Amu for years, she'd often told her about her fierce love for video games. She'd finally convinced the shorter girl to play, and had invited Amu over to her house for a sleepover so they could play it together. "I told you it would be! Come on, let's go find some more monsters!"

"Hold on, I think it's time."

Utau turned back, her eyebrow arching in confusion. "Time?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah! We ordered pizza, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Utau said slowly. "Wow, I am hungry."

She opened up her menu to check the time, and sure enough, it was 4:50, ten minutes before their pizza was supposed to arrive.

"Alright then, let's log out."

"We can come back after eating, right?"

Utau grinned at her friend. "You bet! We're pulling an all-nighter!"

Amu laughed.

Utau scrolled through her menu, ready to log out, when she paused.

"Hey, Utau?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you say the log out button was again?"

"It should be right above the options, but…" Utau trailed off.

"It's not there."

"Look around, maybe they moved it."

They both searched through the menu. Utau began to feel an increasing feeling of uneasiness in her stomach time ticked on. Finally, she scrolled down, tapped a few buttons, and contacted support – or, the 'Game Master' as he was called.

"Why would they make the button so hard to find? Do you think it's a bug? That could cause some serious problems, couldn't it?" Amu asked, looking up.

"Yeah… it could be, but they should have made an announcement by now." Utau replied. _Is something wrong? _

Utau's thoughts were interrupted as a loud, ominous sound cracked the silence of the fields. A deep tolling rolled across the landscape, breaking the peace spell that had previously laid there.

"A bell?" Amu and Utau both whipped around, their heads turning towards where the sound was coming from.

They both gasped as unexpectedly, they were enveloped in a blue light. The field faded, and they found themselves in a large courtyard.

"Hey, isn't this where we landed when we first joined the game? What happened?" Amu asked.

Utau looked around. The courtyard was filled, containing thousands of players. A confused, chaotic drone reached her ears, the din of confused ramblings growing louder by the second, as more people were teleported to the area.

"They used a teleport." Utau said, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Do you think the admin did this? To make an announcement, maybe?" Amu edged closer to the taller girl, avoiding the people around them.

Utau gestured upwards. "It looks like we're about to find out." She said.

A dark, rectangular hexagon appeared in the sky. A message appearing.

_Warning! _

* * *

The hexagon multiplied itself, more shapes covering the sky until the courtyard was encased in an eerie red glow.

Another hexagon popped up, a message appearing. _System Announcement. _

A dark, sticky red liquid began to drip, pouring from the cracks and borders in between the other hexagons and began to pool in midair, creating a large, circular mass of dark-red blood-like substance. With a flash of lightning, it expanded, building up, beginning to form a figure.

"What's going on?" Ikuto muttered.

Finally, the figure raised its head, revealing a gigantic cloaked creature. No face was visible through the hood, only darkness and black smoke pouring from the depths.

"Is… that the Game Master?" Tadase asked hesitantly.

Ikuto didn't answer.

"Welcome all players, to Sword Art Online, my world." The figure spoke, a deep voice bursting forth from the ominous depths of the hood.

"I am Kazoumi Hoshina, the creator of this game. From this moment on, everything is about to change. Starting now, I am in control of this world."

_Kazoumi Hoshina. _Ikuto thought to himself. _That's some entrance there. Always interested in the flare, aren't you? _

"As I'm sure you will have noticed, the 'logout' button is absent from your menu. This is not an error. I repeat, this is not an error. It is by design. You see, this is how I designed the game. None of you will be able to log out."

Ikuto's gained an uncertain feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. _What is he playing at? _

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO." The Game Master continued. "And no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear with discharge a microwave signal to your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life."

Ikuto heard Tadase abruptly gasp from beside him as his own eyes widened.

"W-what is he talking about?" Tadase asked, dumfounded.

Immediately, protesting screams and shouts erupted from the people around them. Ikuto was shoved aside roughly as a girl shoved past him, dragging another girl with her.

"Come on Amu, we're getting out of here." She declared. However, upon reaching the red barrier, she was unable to pass through. "What the heck?!" She yelled, her temper quickly lost as she began kicking and punching at the red wall. She whirled around. "You can't keep us here!" She shouted, livid.

"This is a joke, right Ikuto?" Tadase asked, having to nearly shout to allow his voice to be heard over the sounds of people shouting.

Ikuto shook his head slowly, a grimace overtaking his features. "He's not." He said. "The transmitter signals in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could destroy your brain."

"Couldn't someone cut off the power?"

Ikuto closed his eyes. "The NerveGear has an internal battery."

"So…" Tadase began.

"It's impossible." Ikuto finished.

Tadase shook his head slowly. "This is crazy." He said, glaring at the Game Master. "Does this man not care at all about other people?"

"Unfortunately," The Game Master spoke up again, gaining everyone's attention, "despite my warning, some of the family and friends of the players have tried to remove the NerveGear, resulting in death. This has resulted in 213 less players in both Aincrad _and _the real world."

A large gasp of shock registered throughout the crowd. One girl lost it, bursting into tears and falling to her knees, sobbing.

"Th-that's…." Tadase was at a loss for words.

The screams of the people had died down, anger giving way to fear, as they stood transfixed, staring wide-eyed at the figure who now held their lives in the palm of his hand.

Multiple windows appeared around the figure, showing current news broadcasts around the world. "As you can see, the media has gotten ahold of this and has around-the-clock coverage of the events, including the deaths. This should bring down the likelihood of someone removing the NerveGear from you. Allow this to bring you comfort as you play.

"It's important to remember the following: There is no longer anyway to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, permanently. The NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

"Why should we believe anything you say?!" The girl by the barrier shouted angrily. Tadase glanced at her, a sad look in his eyes.

"There is only one way to escape now." He continued. "You must clear the game. Right now you are gathered on Floor 1, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"All 100 floors? But even the beta testers never made it that high! How does he expect us to do that?!" Ikuto's companion demanded.

"And, last but not least…" The figure opened the menu again, "I've placed a small gift in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."

Curious, Ikuto opened his menu. Going to the item storage, he tapped on the object.

"A mirror?" He wondered aloud.

It materialized into his grasp. He looked into it, seeing the generic face of his avatar. Abruptly, a white light flashed beside him, as screams of surprise echoed throughout the courtyard. More and more players were consumed by it, as more screams and shouts built up.

He gasped as suddenly, he was surrounded in his own light, so bright he had to screw his eyes shut.

As quickly as it came, it was gone, and Ikuto looked around slowly, to realize that something had changed.

He glanced down into his mirror.

His eyes widened in disbelief. He could hear the same disbelieving gasps echo around him.

For, in the mirror, was no longer the face of his avatar, but his own face. His own midnight blue hair and eyes, his own sharp, chiseled face.

"Ikuto, are you alright?" He heard.

He turned slowly, almost dreading what he would see.

"….Tadase?"

The player standing before him had also changed. In place of brunette hair and blue eyes, he now had blonde hair, and startling red eyes, which widened in surprise upon seeing him.

He glanced to Ikuto's status bar uncertainly, then back to Ikuto. Then back to the bar. He repeated the process several times.

"Ikuto?" He asked hesitantly.

Ikuto nodded.

It seems they weren't the only ones. Cries of confusion echoed around them.

"But…how?"

"There's a high-density scan inside the NerveGear. It can see what our face looks like." Ikuto replied gravely. "But I'm unsure as to how they found out how tall I am."

"When you first put the NerveGear on, it had you do this calibration thing. It had you touch your body all over like this." Tadase demonstrated by crossing his arms and placing his hands on his opposite shoulders. "Remember?"

Ikuto nodded. His mind was whirling with information. Around them, the crowd began to act up again. They were confused, and scared.

"I'm sure that you're wondering why I'm doing this." The figure spoke. "The reason I created Sword Art Online was to be in control of a world of my own design. I am in control of the fate this realm. As you can see, I have achieved my goal."

_He's trying to play God. _Ikuto thought angrily, his eyes narrowing. He clenched his fists. _How sick! _

"This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

The image of the Game Master grew pixilated, and with a strange whirring noise, the figure began to dissolve into red smoke, receding back towards the hexagons, which disappeared with a snap. Within seconds, both disappeared as if they were never there.

No one spoke.

Every single occupant in the plaza had a stunned, gaping look on their face, to shocked to utter a word just yet.

Ikuto heart a small splash as he looked down. Blood dripped from a small cut in his arm. A cut he'd received just this morning, before he began the game.

_It's real. _He thought.

Tadase's eyes were wide, staring at the space the Game Master had previously occupied.

"I-if we die in the game…" He spoke slowly, his voice shaking.

"…We die in real life."

The mirror slipped from his hands and dropped to the ground, shattering into pieces.

And with that, all Hell broke loose.

"No!" A girl screamed, her hands reaching up to cover her ears, falling back into some of the people behind her.

Everyone began to panic, shouting and shoving against each other, releasing their anger at the sky.. All the voices blended into one angry roar. A small girl collapsed to her knees on the floor, not moving.

Tadase cringed, jumping towards Ikuto as a huge man shoved past him.

The barrier on the edge of the courtyard disappeared, and Ikuto took his chance to escape the angry mob. Grabbing Tadase's wrist, he raced towards the exit. "Come on Tadase!"

They shoved their way through the mass of people, heading towards the edge of the yard. Finally making it out, Ikuto began to run, dragging the blonde behind him. Past all of the buildings, shops and taverns, he ran until they reached a lone alleyway. He paused and panted for breath, Tadase right behind him.

They rested for a few moments, regaining their breath, the shock still fresh on their minds.

"Was all of that true? How can he just do that… surely he must be lying!" Tadase's voice raised to a yell.

"It's true." Ikuto contradicted. "Hoshina designed the NerveGear system and Sword Art Online. I know all about his work. He's what you could call a genius." He sighed in anger. "Everything he said was true."

Tadase shook his head in shock.

"But… I have a family! I have – "

"Listen to me Tadase."

The blonde paused, looking up to meet Ikuto's eyes.

"We need to get out of here. We should head to the next village. The way to survive this game is by making ourselves as strong as possible. In these kinds of MMORPG games, there's only a limited amount of XP and money. Already, there's not much left. The fields around here, the Town of Beginings, are going to be hunted clean soon. We need to move on, to get a head start, and we'll have an easier time collecting cash and points."

Tadase nodded slowly.

"I want you to come with me."

He looked up. "Really?"

Ikuto shook his head in affirmation.

"Are you sure? I'm not very experienced and – "

"That's what this game is about. Making yourself stronger. You're not going to survive otherwise."

A small smile alighted to Tadase's face. "Alright."

Ikuto turned around. "Alright. Let's go then. I know all the paths and places we should avoid. We'll get there easily."

Tadase came to Ikuto's side. "Leady the way, then."

They both took off running through the streets. They passed a few people, most crying or in shock, but they didn't stop. They made their way towards the exit of the town, and began to run through the fields.

Ikuto pushed himself to the limit, and he saw that Tadase was doing the same. He glanced at his companion's hard, focused expression, guessing he knew what was going through the blonde's head.

_My family…_

_Everyone in this game…_

A bright light flashed on the path before him, and a wolf materialized, its menacing red eyes focused right on him.

He and Tadase simultaneously drew their swords and held them back, building power, as they sped towards the wolf.

_I will not be beaten. Not by this game, not by anyone. _

The wolf leapt into the air, its jaws opening up to devour him.

Tadase ducked, thrusting his blade upwards into the body of the wolf. Ikuto leapt up at the same time the wolf did. He swung his sword, the blade whizzing through the air with power as he shot past the wolf, a long blue streak flashing through the air.

A red slash and a gash appeared on the wolf, and it exploded as Ikuto landed on the ground.

_I will survive. _

_We will survive. _


	3. Chapter 2: Alone With My Thoughts

Chapter 2: Alone With My Thoughts

_December 2nd, 2022_

_Floor 1: Torbana_

Ikuto put his chin on his fisted palm, watching as players trickled into the amphitheater. Some of them looked experienced in their armor, ready to take down the boss. And some looked like they didn't belong.

Ikuto's eyes drifted to a girl sitting huddled in a corner, far away from the rest, almost looking as if she was trying to hide behind her pink hair.

He wasn't one to judge, and he couldn't see her armor because of the cloak she wore, but she didn't look much like boss-fighting material. After all, that was why they were here. To plan on how to defeat the Floor 1 boss.

It'd been almost two months since the game began, and surprisingly, they hadn't cleared the first floor yet.

_Two thousand have perished. _

_And Hoshina sits there on his godly cloud, watching us slowly die out. How pathetic. _

Ikuto was pulled out of his thoughts as a familiar blonde entered the amphitheater. The blonde scanned the crowd, spotted Ikuto, and headed over, a smile on his face.

"I spoke with the player who's leading the meeting, Ikuto." Tadase said as he sat down. "He was also a beta tester. Hopefully his knowledge will help us defeat the boss."

Ikuto nodded, not offering an answer. Tadase was used to this, however, and occupied himself with scanning the crowd. His eyes paused at a man demonstrating some sort of technique to his companions.

"So, these skills…. There's a lot of them, right? Like blacksmithing, and cooking… I've heard there's an unlimited amount, correct?"

Ikuto nodded again. "Except magic."

"It surprises me that the creators would leave out magic… but I guess it's called "Sword Art Online" for a reason." Tadase chuckled softly. He put his hand on the stone they were seated on, feeling it's texture.

"It's hard to believe that we're in a game." Tadase continued, looking up at the sky. "If it weren't for the overbearing fact that we can't leave, I might forget. Everything seems so real. The look of the sky and people around us, the feelings of moving my body as I fight, everything. Technology is amazing."

"Sometimes, I feel more alive here than I do in the real world." Ikuto agreed quietly. He then shifted, watching as a man stood, looking as if he was about to begin the meeting. "I made it to about Floor 8 in the beta test. I expected myself to be able to reach that level again quickly, but… I haven't even been able to find the lair."

"Well, thankfully it's been found now, and we'll be able to beat the boss and move on. We can make it our goal to find the second bosses' lair."

Ikuto chuckled. "Sure, Tadase."

"Hello everyone, thank you for coming. My name is Kirishima, and I will be running the meeting today." The player began, effectively quieting the talking and gaining everyone's attention. "We're meeting to discuss how to defeat the Floor 1 boss. Before we begin, please party up into teams, and then I will divide you into separate squads."

Tadase opened his menu, and shortly a window popped up in front of Ikuto, asking him if he accepted the party request. He hit the blue circle, and the window disappeared. He idly watched the other players get into teams.

"Excuse me."

Ikuto and Tadase glanced up, and Ikuto noticed the pink-haired girl he'd noticed earlier standing before them, drilling them with hard gold eyes. "Can I join your party?"

Tadase gave a polite smile, nodding. "Sure you can. What's your name? I'm Tadase, and this is Ikuto." He opened his menu and sent her a request.

She tapped the 'ok' button. "Amu." She curtly replied, and sat down in front of them, her back facing them.

Ikuto chuckled, amused both because of her behavior and Tadase's slightly shocked face.

A man nearby Tadase growled. "Those stupid beta testers. I bet they know all about this. They're probably standing right out there, safe from danger, laughing as we get ourselves killed." He declared loudly.

Tadase turned to the man with a polite smile. "Surely you aren't blaming the beta testers for the rookie's deaths?"

"Of course! They've been withholding information from us!"

"They should compensate!" Another man piped up. "They should give us gold and supplies!"

Tadase turned and opened his menu, scrolling through until he found what he wanted. Tapping it, a small book appeared in his hand. Facing the men again, he held it up for them to see. "This is being given away in the store for free. You got one, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you read it?"

"Of course I have!" The man shot back angrily.

"Then," Tadase titled his head, his smile still eerily polite, "you should know that this book was written by the beta testers. It includes everything you need to know about the game. Each player has had equal access to this book. It's sad, but yes, some have still died. You want the beta testers, who could have left all the rookies behind but didn't, and made a conscious effort to share their knowledge to help others survive, to compensate by giving you their winnings?"

The man didn't reply, fixing his fuming glare at Tadase's smiling face.

"I believe we're here to find out how to defeat the boss, not lay blame. Let's focus on that, yes?"

The man made a 'tch' noise and turned away.

"You seem awfully protective of beta testers." The pink haired girl spoke up.

"From what I've seen, there's no reason to blame them for anything. I'm merely attempting to keep peace." Tadase replied calmly.

The girl didn't answer.

"Alright." Kirishima started, regaining focus. "Those on the far left side of the stadium will be Squad D. Those in the middle-left side of the stadium will be Squad B, those on the middle-right will be Squad A, and those on the far right will be Squad D. Any question?" When no one spoke, he continued. "Good. Now, all of the information on the boss is in this guidebook from the items store. This book contains lots of helpful information on the game. If you haven't picked one up, I suggest you do so quickly. They're free, so no worries. Anyway, according to the book, the bosses' name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He'll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruined Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a talwar. He can change his patterns of attack."

"Wow. That sounds pretty tough for a first boss." Tadase commented.

Ikuto shrugged. "It's not all that bad."

Kirishima closed the book. "That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally, the party that defeats the boss gets the XP, and whoever earns an item may keep it. Does anyone have any questions? Okay. We're leaving here at ten in the morning, so please meet by the West Gate at that time. Meeting Dismissed."

Immediately people stood up, heading out of the amphitheater. Ikuto stood as well, then turned to Tadase.

"Amu-chan, would you like to join us for dinner? We're going to the tavern nearby."

"No thanks." She replied curtly. With a swish of her dark cloak, she was gone.

Tadase sighed.

Ikuto laughed.

"Don't take it so hard. Not all girls are into blondes."

"That's not what I meant!" He fired back. His partner chuckled and ignored him, strolling out of the stadium. Tadase followed.

* * *

"I'll definitely be the one to get the last strike on that boss tomorrow!" A man boasted at the bar. "That reward'll be mighty nice, eh?"

"Don't be so confident." Another man spoke up. "Me and my party are strong. We may very well be the ones to get the bonus."

Ikuto tuned out the rest of the talk, his eyes scanning the rest of the tavern. He spotted Tadase deep in conversation with a man with green hair.

His eyebrows rose quizzically when he spotted his other party member.

_Not one for socializing, huh? _

Smirking to himself, he approached her.

"I'm hurt," he said. She jumped, whirling to face him with wide eyes. "You immediately declined Tadase's kind invitation, but came here anyway? If I didn't know any better, I would say you were avoiding me."

She calmed down when she saw it was him, and then her eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" She demanded.

He chuckled, seating himself beside her, ignoring her glare. "I was only making conversation." He said.

"Not interested."

He leaned forward, intent on breaking the girl's façade. "Or maybe, you declined just so you could admire and stare at me without me noticing?"

"That's ridiculous!" She immediately shot back, flustered.

He leaned back in his seat, chortling as he folded his hands behind his head.

"So, what's someone like you doing here?" He asked at length, examining her face.

She bristled, her eyes narrowing to glare at him. "'Someone like me'? What's that supposed to mean?!"

He shrugged. "Well, guessing on the manner in which you've acted, you're a new player, aren't you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just asking. I'm surprised you're bothering yourself with this boss."

"So what, just because I'm a new player means I can't care?"

"Not at all."

Her glare intensified. "Don't underestimate me."

His eyes widened as he plastered a look of mock surprise on his face. "I had no intention of doing so."

She rolled her eyes and turned away, much to Ikuto's amusement.

"I'm assuming you know all the basic things about this game?"

Her eyes met his again, confident. "Yes. I am quite capable of fighting and I won't drag you down."

He raised an eyebrow. Quite stiff, this girl was. He wasn't meaning to question her abilities, just making sure she knew everything she needed too.

"Alright, so how about this. When we go in there to attack, I'll strike the first blow, then you'll switch with me, and you and Tadase will strike after that."

For a moment, she had a blank look on her face. However, she quickly erased it and went back to her stoic demeanor. "Sounds good."

"You do know what switching is, right?"

She looked away. "Of course."

He placed a hand over his mouth, but couldn't quite contain his snickers. She heard and whirled back to face him again. "What are you laughing at?!" She snarled.

"Switching is pretty basic, rookie." He smirked mischievously at her.

She shot to her feet. "Whatever. I'm leaving."

She stalked past him, heading for the door, when Ikuto caught her sleeve.

"Wait."

He looked up at her, his amused blue eyes meeting her gold eyes.

"Meet me in front of the big gate on the east side of town tomorrow morning at seven. I'll teach you some combat techniques."

"And why should I agree?"

His eyes turned serious. "I don't want any party members dying on me."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked surprised.

She tugged her wrist free from his grip and continued on her way. "Whatever."

He smiled lightly to himself in amusement.


	4. Chapter 3: Eye of the Beast

**A/N: I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It's ten minutes away from being two days late xD Since it was spring break for me, I decided to hang out with a few friends. I got back at around six and realized "Oh crap... I haven't even finished the chapter!"So I wrote that, and THEN our internet decided to stop working :P So, anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy it.**

**After this chapter, I'm going to stay away from the actual events of the anime as much as possible. I'm tired of having to confine myself and ready to do my own thing ;)**

**Oh! And, can you spot Kukai in this chapter? You'll have to look closely, and you'll only be able to tell by his demeanor! Let me know if you can ;)**

* * *

Chapter 3: Eye of The Beast

_December 3rd, 2022_

_Floor 1: East Plateau _

"Switch!" Ikuto called, falling back, and the pink-haired girl shot past him, her sword raised and ready. She swung, and her blade struck home, plunging itself into the large body of the snake.

The creature hissed, it's red eyes flashing, before it dispersed, blue light shards flashing through the air.

A window popped up before Amu, and she quickly tapped through it.

"Good job." Ikuto said, turning back towards the town. "We should be heading back, the party will be leaving soon."

Amu nodded, and came to his side as they walked back towards the town.

"Thanks for helping me." She said.

He nodded.

They walked in silence for a while, a breeze blowing the grass beside them.

"You were a beta tester, weren't you?"

"Yes." Ikuto replied.

"Tadase told me. He said that you helped him, and he was glad to be with someone like you." She turned her head towards him, her eyes searching his face. "Why did you stay behind to help him? Why are you helping me, and the other players to defeat the boss? You could go on ahead, or join a guild, or even PK if you wanted to."

He smirked. "So what, just because I'm a beta tester means I can't care?" He asked, using her previous statement.

She glared for a brief moment, before shrugging and looking forward again. "I'd just assumed that if you had the chance to be at the top, you'd take it."

He shrugged, not offering a reply to her question.

Yes, he wanted to be the best. He bought this game, ready to be the top player, no matter what anyone else said. But now… they had to beat the game.

So, could he still be the best?

Of course he could.

They arrived at the village and passed through the gate, their conversation coming to an end. They made their way through town, finding themselves in a small crowd of people heading the same direction they were. Soon, they arrived at a huge gate, where a large crowd was already gathered.

"Ikuto-kun!" They heard.

Ikuto glanced to the side, watching the blond speed up to them. Once there, he nodded at both of them. "Good morning, Amu-chan."

She nodded back, and together they faced forward, focusing their attention on Kirishima.

"Welcome, everyone." He greeted. "We're going to head off now. Once we get there, please immediately break up into your assigned squads. We'll be passing through the East Fields, and then we'll go through the forest." He glanced around the crowd, his eyes scanning the players. "Alright, it looks like everyone's here, so let's get moving."

The doors opened, and the players passed through, heading across the fields.

"How did your training go, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked.

"It went fine." She replied.

"That's good." He responded, not quite sure what else to say. He often tried to start up a conversation with her, but her closed-off, cold demeanor made it difficult.

They walked in silence for a little while, enjoying the sunlight. A chilly breeze blew across the fields, foreshadowing the forthcoming December snow. A few insects buzzed here and there, mostly bees and dragonflies.

Soon, they approached the forest and entered into it, the tall trees blocking out the sun. The leaves cast intricate patterns onto the players, decorating them with their shade.

"Are you going to try to get the last attack bonus on the boss, Ikuto?" Tadase asked.

The blue-haired player cast his partner a sly smirk. "Possibly."

Tadase returned a smile.

Finally, they arrived at the doors of the boss room. Kirishima turned to the troop.

"Everyone, please assemble in your parties and squads." He requested. There was a bit of shuffling around, and then the players turned back to him.

"Well, that's just about it." Kirishima smiled. "Alright, everyone! Let's take down this boss!"

With that, he turned and opened up the huge double doors.

They entered into a massive, dark hall. Pillars lined the sides, and intricate designs were inscribed in the floor. At the far end of the chamber, a large, black silhouette slumped in a throne with a large battle axe by its side. Two glowing yellow orbs pierced the darkness as the beast opened its eyes.

With that, the room lit up, The walls and ceiling burst into colors, swirling, shifting and moving masses that twirled about as if they belonged in a kaleidoscope.

The figure grabbed the battle axe and leapt into the air, sailing high through the hall until it landed with a heavy _thud _before them.

Text, four health bars, and a red triangular prism appeared over its head.

**«Illfang the Kobold Lord» **

Illfang took the appearance of a large, fat, upright, red rat-like creature. The mouth was filled with sharp teeth while two yellow beady eyes protruded from the skull. It had a triangular design tattooed in light blue on its stomach, and a pink tail protruded from its back. A green neck brace attached to a hood, which covered the back of the head. It was also equipped with matching gauntlets.

Three more creatures appeared, blinking into existence with a flash of blue light. Their figures were more kangaroo-like, however, only their long red ears, tails, and claws showed from their full-body armor. Their faces were covered by helmets. They carried large, oddly-shaped maces. **«Ruined Kobold Sentinels»** appeared over their heads, along with health bars and red prisms.

With a roar, all of them charged.

"Attack!" Kirishima cried. "Squads A and C, charge!"

With yells and battle cries, the players charged forward, meeting the first floor boss.

Illfang raised the mighty battle axe over his head, preparing to strike.

"Now! Squad B, block!"

Players ran forward, their swords charged and bursting with color, to block the attack.

"When you fall back, regroup and flank Illfang." Kirishima ordered. "Squadrons C and D, work on the sentinels!"

Ikuto nodded and charged to the nearest Sentinel. It leapt into the air, bringing its mace over its head. Ikuto brought his own sword up and parried the blow, knocking the weapon out of the way.

"Tadase, switch!"

Ikuto leapt back as the blond shot forward, flying past him, to meet the Sentinel. He brought his sword back, charging it. He released it, slashing at the rat. It gave a grated squeak as it was knocked back before exploding.

He nodded quickly. "Good."

Another Sentinel materialized out of the air above him and jumped on him. Ikuto slashed upward and deflected the blow, then back down, knocking the creature away.

A massive roar from Illfang distracted him. He turned. The creature threw its head forward, leering, and gave a menacing snap of its jaws as its last health bar turned red. It thrust its hands into the air and released its axe and shield, sending them flying across the hall.

"Looks like that guidebook was right." Ikuto heard Amu's voice coming from behind him.

The creature reached to a sheath on its belt and drew out another blade.

Just as the players were about to rush forward, they were stopped by a "Stand back!"

They paused, and parted ways as Kirishima rushed through the crowd. He grinned. "I'm going to take it down!"

"That wasn't the plan…" Tadase trailed off as Kirishima approached the boss.

Kirishima paused before the beast, waiting to attack, his sword emitting sparks and bursts of energy.

Illfang freed the blade from its sheath, drawing it out with a _whoosh _of air, holding it in ready position. A long, blunt blade grew thicker until the end, where it branched off into two points.

Tadase gasped. "Ikuto!"

Ikuto's deep blue eyes widened. He'd seen it too.

_That's not a talwar… that's an odachi. _

_This is different than the beta!_

"Kirishima-san! Stop!" The blond called out.

Either not hearing him, or choosing to ignore him, the player continued his actions.

"Tadase." Ikuto called.

His partner turned to him, then nodded, an unspoken understanding between them.

"I'm ready." He said.

Together they shot forward, dashing towards the boss and the still ignorant Kirishima.

"Kirishima, get out of there!" Tadase yelled, trying to get the man to come to his senses.

They had just about reached Kirishima's side when suddenly, Illfang leapt into the air. It crashed into the top of a pillar, then turned and leapt off of it, sailing across the room towards the opposite end. Ikuto and the players all swiveled, following Illfang's movements.

The boss shot downwards, bowling into Ikuto, Tadase, and Kirishima, knocking them into the air before they had the chance to strike.

The beast swung the odachi.

Kirishima cried out as a red slash mark wound appeared across his chest.

Ikuto and Tadase crashed into the ground not too far away from each other, and watched in horror as Illfang pulled back and struck again, sending Kirishima flying across the room. He crashed into the floor, rolling several times and collapsing into a heap.

"Kirishima-san!" Tadase cried, running towards the man. He dropped to his knees, sliding into a kneeling position next to the fallen player.

Ikuto leapt to his feet, his sword charged and ready to block Illfang's next blow. The blade bore down, and Ikuto readied himself, steadying his hand.

Just before Illfang's blade struck his own, a flash of pink echoed through the side of his vision, and another blade joined his to deflect the strike.

Together, they used their power to knock aside the blade, with a great _clang, _the three blades connected, and the odachi ricocheted back.

Both players jumped back as one, landing among the other squadrons.

"Tadase, how – " Ikuto turned his head towards Tadase to ask how Kirishima was.

The man's figure turned transparent blue, and then burst into light, leaving a wide-eyed Tadase behind, an unused health potion in his hand.

The players all gasped, shocked, staring at the place where their leader had been just a few moments ago.

Taking a deep breath, Ikuto slowly looked back over to Illfang, who looked like he was once again about to attack, roaring at the players. He turned towards the beast, readying his sword.

Another flash of pink lit up his peripheral vision, and he turned to see Amu.

"I'm coming too." She said, looking him in the eyes.

He nodded. "Alright. Follow my lead."

Together they took off, heading once more towards the boss.

"We're going to use the method we defeated the minions with." He shouted to her, receiving an affirmative shake of the head as a reply.

Illfang's beady eyes turned towards them. He pulled his sword back. It began to glow and snap with power.

Ikuto lifted his sword to meet the blow, undaunted.

The blades collided with a loud _clang_, a bright flash, and a burst of sparks.

"Switch!" Ikuto yelled.

The girl jumped into the air, bringing a glowing rapier forward, and struck him across the face.

"Watch out!" He shouted, seeing Illfang raise the odachi.

Amu gasped and jumped out of the way as the blade came down, catching her cloak instead of her. The fabric disappeared in a flurry of sparkles.

She remained determined, her golden eyes glaring at the boss. Leaping up, she drove her rapier into the monster, driving it backwards.

She landed back on the ground beside Ikuto, her long pink hair swirling around her.

They both focused back on the monster as it gave a roar, lifting the talwar as it ran towards them.

Ikuto deflected a blow of the boss, allowing Amu to get in another blow.

The boss changed its attack pattern, launching into a series of quick strikes. Ikuto quickly blocked each one. He swung his sword up and then widely to the left to dislodge Illfang's blade. Only then did he realize his mistake.

He'd left himself directly open for an attack.

The monster struck. Ikuto went flying across the room, crashing into Amu. They both fell into a heap on the floor as Ikuto's sword clattered away.

Ikuto's health declined, giving the previously green bar a yellow tint.

The girl gasped, and they both looked up at an ear-splitting roar, seeing the monster above them, holding up its sword, which was glowing a brilliant yellow.

The monster threw it downwards, delivering a killing blow.

A battle cry sounded, and with a flash of light blue, the odachi was deflected away from them.

Tadase stood above him, his sword raised in the air.

He turned to look back at Ikuto.

"We'll hold him off until your health is back up." He said with a smile.

Ikuto nodded.

With yells and battle cries, all the players charged towards Illfang, attacking with all they had.

Ikuto impatiently checked his health bar, wanting it to recharge so he could get back to the fight.

Illfang abruptly changed his attack pattern again, leaping high into the air, his sword charging to full power.

Ikuto jumped up as the monster began its descent. "Amu!" He called. "Attack with me!"

She came to his side as Ikuto ran towards the monster, holding his sword at ready.

As Illfang swung the odachi, Ikuto deflected it.

_Switch!_

Amu jumped forward, stabbing it with her rapier.

_Switch!_

Ikuto came forward and swung his sword downwards, cutting it deeply. The monster roared, its tongue lolling out of the mouth, stumbling back.

Ikuto quickly followed, burrowing his sword into the stomach and jumped upward, dragging it as deeply as he could. He pulled it out and went for one last blow, digging it into the monster again. And again. And again and again and again.

The monster began to glow blue. Ikuto fell downward, unable to stay in the air any longer.

The first level boss sailed into the air, Ikuto's wounds glowing a bright, radiant, blue, before it exploded, a blinding light flashing in the room.

The players were silent, staring. Had they done it? Was it over?

**«CONGRATULATIONS!»**

And with that, everyone exploded into cheers. Joy practically oozed from the players as they examined the windows that had popped up, showing them what they'd won.

Ikuto panted from his knees on the ground from where he'd landed. Opening his eyes, he read the text of the window.

_Congratulations! You got the last attacking bonus!_

Another small window opened up.

_Bonus item: Coat of Midnight _

Standing, he walked over to where the blond was on the ground, still a bit stunned from the blow he'd received.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

The blond nodded. "Kirishima…" He spoke quietly.

"Hey!" One of the players yelled.

Ikuto and Tadase turned, landing their eyes on a brunet male.

"Great work you guys! We wouldn't have been able to do it without ya!" He grinned, showing a thumbs up.

Approval went up from the crowd, with more people picking up and cheering.

Ikuto surveyed the crowd, looking at all of the players cheering for him. His blue eyes hardened.

"Stop." He commanded, his voice hard.

No one heard him, and they continued clapping.

"I said STOP IT!" He shouted angrily.

The cheers immediately quieted, giving him confused stares.

"I don't want your thanks." He growled, his voice once again taking on a quiet volume. "Don't act like that when the next second you could turn against me. I don't need your false gratitude."

Leaving the players in stunned silence, he turned away. "Come on Tadase, we're leaving."

The blond nodded, and scurried to follow him. They mounted the stairs, approaching the door.

"Wait!"

Amu ran up behind them.

"Yes?" Ikuto asked impatiently.

She glared at him, her expression suggesting the opposite of her words.

"Thank you. For helping me."

"Sure." He chuckled. Then,

"You're a talented player, Amu. If someone you trust offers you the chance to join a guild, don't turn it down."

With that, he opened his menu.

«_Dissolve_»

_Will you disband your party?_

He hit the blue circle.

He and Tadase left the room, vanishing behind the two doors.


	5. Chapter 4: A Home for Lost Travelers

**Hello everyone!**

**I decided on an early update because I'm going to be pretty busy for the next couple of days, and my wifi is getting less and less reliable, so I thought I'd give you the chapter now instead of later.**

**Please review! It makes me very happy, makes my day, and gives me inspiration! Even a couple words are nice :)**

**Anyway, enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 4: A Home for Lost Travelers

_December 4th, 2022_

_Floor 1: Torbana _

"Amu!" Utau called, running towards her, her long yellow pigtails flying in the wind.

A genuine smile came to Amu's face. "Hey, Utau."

"How did the fight go?" The blonde asked.

"Alright. Sadly, there was a casualty, but only one."

Utau nodded. "That's too bad. But," She brightened, "I might have found a guild for us!"

"Really?"

Utau smirked. "Of course! That was the deal, wasn't it? I promised that by the time you got back from the boss fight, I would have found us a guild!"

Amu chuckled. "Okay then."

Utau grabbed Amu's hand and began to drag her through the town. "You'll have to give me the details of the fight later. Remember that guy we met the first day, before the whole 'announcement' thing, Kairi? Well, I met him again, and we talked for a while, and he's letting us check out his guild and see what we think! They don't have a house yet, but they're waiting to get to higher floors first. Right now they're meeting at the Black Ship Tavern."

Utau led Amu through the bustling town, passing players on their way to taverns, shops, and such.

"I wonder what the second floor will be like?" Amu wondered aloud.

"I've heard a rumor that it's a jungle level. Or maybe a beach floor." The blonde speculated.

They arrived in front of a moderately large building. A sign hung from a post, reading _Black Ship Tavern_. Utau opened the door and headed inside, leading Amu over to the bar. Seated there was a green-haired man, with a drink by his arm and a book in his hand. His spectacles reflected the light, blocking his eyes from view.

"Kairi!" Utau called, walking up to him.

He looked up, slowly putting his book down. "Utau-san." He greeted back. He noticed Amu, and gave her a long, appraising look that both made the pinkette a little nervous and ticked her off. Just as she was about to say something, he spoke up.

"It's nice to see you again, Amu-san." He spoke formally to her.

She nodded, not offering any further dialogue. The green-haired player seemed fine with that.

"First, I will introduce you to the rest of the guild members. Then, Utau-san, I will have you duel one of my subordinates. If I am satisfied with the results, I will allow you to join."

Utau raised an eyebrow. "Amu doesn't have to duel anyone?"

He adjusted his glasses with his finger. "I've heard that Amu-san took a large role in defeating the boss. I believe that is enough qualification for her."

Utau nodded, appearing satisfied with that answer, but shot a teasing jealous glare over at her companion who, if they had been alone, would have grinned cheekily in response.

"Well," Kairi stood, his book vanishing with a few sparkles, "I suppose there's no use wasting time. The rest of the guild is in the East Plateau fighting. We'll meet them there."

The two girls nodded in agreement, and followed the player out of the building.

* * *

"Switch!" They heard distantly as they mounted a hill. Once they reached the top, they laid eyes on a group of players fighting a large wolf. Amu guessed it to be a mid-level boss.

They witnessed a brunet player charge forward, past a blue-haired girl, and drive his sword into the beast. The wolf snarled, its health dropping into the red zone. The brunet jumped back, dodging out of the way as the wolf snapped its jaws.

"Daichi!" He yelled.

A mint green-haired player ran towards the wolf, his sword raised and ready. He leapt up, slashing his weapon across the wolf's face. A red slash-mark appeared, and the health dropped further.

"All together now!" The brunet yelled, and the whole group charged, their weapons snapping and glowing with power. They hit the wolf with all of their power at once, and the health bar emptied. With one final roar, the beast exploded, disappearing in a mass of light shards.

The players immediately erupted into cheers, whooping a high-fiving each other.

Kairi led Utau and Amu towards the group, and they trudged down the hill to meet the giddy guild members.

Kairi cleared his throat, and they immediately stopped and turned towards him.

"Hey, Danchou*!" The brunet grinned, striding forward. "Did you see that?! We busted up that monster!" Then he noticed Utau and Amu. He blinked, shocked, at the pinkette. "Hey, I remember you! You were the one who beat up the boss with that Ikuto dude!"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Cool!" He grinned. Turning to the blonde, he asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Utau." She introduced. "And I'll be hoping to join your guild."

He gave a thumbs up. "Awesome! My name is Kukai! This here," He gestured to the mint-haired player that had come to stand next to him, "is Daichi! Nice to meet ya!"

Next, a female player walked up to them. She had short, light blue hair trimmed into a bob, and deep but wide blue eyes. She wore dark attire, and clutched daggers in her hands.

"I'm Miki," She introduced, "and I'm a tracker."

Next, a player with spiky, dark-blue hair and gold eyes introduced himself. "I'm Yoru!"

"This is most of our guild. We have another member, Suu, but she is currently in a different town and heading towards us at the moment. Utau," He turned to the blonde, "I would like you to duel Kukai."

"What? Me? I'm honored, Danchou!" Kukai cheered, trying to sling his arm around the shoulders of his commander.

Sighing, Kairi shrugged him off and adjusted his glasses. "Please, just get on with it."

"Sure!" Flipping through his menu, he sent a duel request to the blonde. Turning, he grinned at Utau. "Don't expect me to go easy on you, alright?"

Utau snorted. "As if." She punched the 'yes' button with more force then necessary.

A screen appeared overhead.

**_Duel: Kukai vs. Utau_**

**_Begin!_**

Utau lifted her weapon, an axe, and readied it. Kukai lifted his sword.

Darting forward, Kukai aimed a blow at Utau's chest. She easily deflected it, knocking his blade out of the way and striking her own blow, driving the axe at his arm.

Kukai dodged to the side, bringing his sword back up as he did. The blonde turned, her axe catching his sword with a light _shing! _noise.

Kukai grinned. "Not bad, blondie!"

A strange flame lit in Utau's eyes. "_What _did you say?"

"Uh…" Kukai trailed off.

Immediately, Utau charged at him, her axe glowing. She struck a strong across his body, which Kukai brought his sword up to block. Straight afterward, she lifted her axe over her head and brought it down. Kukai jumped back, but she followed him, aggressively swinging her axe at him. Kukai was left floundering, feverishly trying to block all of the girl's blows.

His sword caught on her axe, and she yanked their weapons to the side.

Then, she did something unexpected.

She kicked him.

She brought her foot up and drove it with solid force into his chest. Kukai gasped, stumbling back, and while he was distracted, she brought her axe back and swung it one more time, knocking his sword cleanly out of his hand. By the time Kukai righted his balance, Utau was holding her axe out against his neck.

**_Finished_**

**_Winner: Utau_**

"_Nobody _calls me _blondie_." She glared at him, fury in her eyes.

Kukai chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Alright then. Great match, blo – er, Utau."

She was still glaring at him.

"…welcome to the guild?"

She nodded, drawing back and slinging her axe across her back. "Thank you." She huffed, and turned away.

Kukai sheepishly collected his sword and retreated to Kairi's side.

The green-haired player nodded. "Good. I will allow you to join our guild, Utau and Amu-san." He turned to the two of them with a rare smile. "Welcome to the Black Cross."

* * *

"Suu is due back tonight, and then tomorrow, we'll head up to the second floor." Kairi told them, sipping at his drink.

After the duel, the group had returned to the _Black Ship _Tavern_, _and Amu and Utau had joined the guild.

"Alright!" Daichi pumped his fist. "We're going to become the best guild in the game!"

Utau turned to Kairi. "Do you plan to take on any more members?"

Kairi nodded. "I do," he answered, "but I'm going to have to choose selectively. We're going to have to be careful who we trust."

Utau shook her head in agreement. "Amu and I were planning to join a guild, but then… after _that _happened, I was worried. I'm glad we've found a guild, though, I didn't know how long we were going to have to solo."

"A few of us know each other from outside the game." Miki spoke up. "But that doesn't mean you can automatically trust them."

"What do you mean, Miki?! You don't trust me?!" Yoru whined, giving her puppy eyes.

"Stop it Yoru, I didn't say that." Miki retorted.

Yoru immediately brightened. "Great! I knew you loved me, Miki!" He enveloped her in a hug.

"Get off."

"But _Miki_!"

Utau ignored the antics of the two and turned back to the guild leader. "Do you know what the second floor is like?" She inquired.

Kairi nodded. "Yes, I do. It's a nice place, but I can only hope that we clear it faster than we cleared this one."

"Yes. It's definitely a race against time, I suppose." Utau nodded. "No one wants to be stuck here longer than they have too."

"Unless you're an otaku, then this is like a dream come true." Kukai said, in an attempt to lighten the darkening mood.

Miki disagreed. "No one wants to risk their life on this game, Kukai."

No one had anything to say to that.

* * *

***Danchou - means "commander".**


	6. Chapter 5: Internal Struggle

**Hello Everyone and welcome back! :)**

**In this chapter, we get to learn a bit about Ikuto's background as well as Tadaga - uh, I mean, Tadase's concern for his well being. Bromance yo. xD **

**Sorry.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and please review! :)**

* * *

Chapter 5: Internal Struggle

_December 20th, 2022_

_Floor 2: Ash Caves _

**_«Level Up!»_**

With a small smile, Tadase closed the window. He turned to his partner, who was still fighting a cave spider.

Ikuto finished the creature off. Sheathing his sword, he turned to glance at Tadase before continuing on down the tunnel.

"Ikuto," Tadase began, "It's getting late, don't you think we should be heading back?" It was well past 1 AM already, and even all of the clearing guilds had already retired for the night.

"No, let's continue on a little longer." Ikuto said, and Tadase nodded.

Trotting to catch up with him, the blond glanced around in the cave they were in. It was mostly dark, but they were still able to see well enough.

Two more cave spiders jumped out, and Ikuto and Tadase attacked. The blond frowned in concentration as he maneuvered his sword. Cave spiders weren't that difficult, but they were small and quick, making them harder to hit.

_That one time, in the boss room…_ He thought as he slashed his sword, leaving a trail of yellow, _Why was Ikuto so angry about their praise? He seemed defensive of people, automatically assuming them to be two-faced… Caution is understandable, but that wasn't caution that Ikuto was showing. What was it? It seemed to be reminiscent of something from his past. Has he been hurt? _

_Maybe… he's been betrayed before?_

Finishing off the spider, Tadase took a side-glance at his blue-haired companion, who was busy battling another cave spider that had appeared.

_It'd be no use bringing it up. Even if I were to do so, Ikuto wouldn't take concern from me. He needs someone, however, whether he realizes it or not. _

_This game has been hard on everyone. Him especially, whether he realizes it or not. I'm worried for what would have happened if he would have gone alone. _

Tadase came to Ikuto's side, ready to move on in the chamber. They strode forward without a word, walking through the dark caves. They rounded a bend in the chamber, keeping an eye out for more monsters.

Unexpectedly, they came upon two huge doors, barring the way.

Tadase gasped. "These couldn't be the boss doors, could they? Already?"

Ikuto shrugged. "Who knows." He gave a small smirk, "We do work pretty fast."

"Well, that, and there's also the fact that no one is crazy enough to still be fighting at 2 AM." Tadase quirked an eyebrow at him.

Ikuto chuckled. "Well, whose idea was it to find the boss door on this floor?"

"If we're so reckless that we're completely out of energy by the time we find it, it's a bit useless."

"Is the great and mighty Tadase asking to back down from a fight because he's tired?"

The blond sighed, his eyebrow twitching. "No, Ikuto."

He smirked. "Good. So, are you ready?"

Despite himself, Tadase couldn't help but smile.

"Yes."

* * *

The tunnel finally opened up, allowing Ikuto and Tadase to climb up out of the underground chamber into the sunlight.

The two companions glanced around, seeing forested landscape draped in swaths of mist that swirled and danced, creating thick atmosphere that was difficult to penetrate with the eyes.

"Floor 3, the Forest of Wavering Mists." Tadase chuckled. "It definitely lives up to its name."

Ikuto nodded in reply, surveying the scene. His tracking skills would be useful here, to allow him to detect monsters through the mist.

"Let's get going." He said. "We still need to activate the teleport pad."

Tadase nodded, and he followed his blue-haired companion.

"It's a cool feeling, you know?" The blond asked, "to be the first ones here. To be able to see what no one else has."

Ikuto gave a small smile.

"Yeah." He agreed. "It is."

* * *

_"__I absolutely forbid you to do it." _

_"__Why not? Why can't you see that this is__\- "_

_"__It doesn't matter. You aren't doing it. You have an education and a future, and I absolutely forbid you to waste it away."_

_"__Why is this so hard to understand? Is it impossible that I like some of the same things you do?"_

_"__You are going to go to a university and study – "_

_"__What is it with you?! You never pay attention to us, you never listen to us at all because you're so busy off in that other world of yours! You've been too busy to notice, but while you were gone, Lulu and I grew up! We became our own people, with our own desires and dreams in life. And if you expect to suddenly waltz back in here and think you can decide our future for us, you're wrong."_

_"__I came back to spend some quality time with my family and to help my children prepare for their futures. I intend for my children to succeed in life."_

_"__No you don't. You've never cared about us. You're never here. Lulu and I are in the middle of High School right now, Father, and are already beginning to shape our careers. The ones _we _want. It doesn't matter what you 'intend'. I want to become a developer. I'm going to. And there's nothing you can do to stop me." _

_The man laughed, turning to sneer at his son. "Really now? Nothing? How about destroying your gaming technology?"_

_"__Go ahead and try. But I _will _find a way."_

_With that, Ikuto turned and left his father's office. _

* * *

Ikuto lied in his bed, staring up at the artificial wooden boards of the ceiling. He knew it was impossible to dream while resting with the NerveGear, and he was glad, for he was sure that it could cause problems for not only him, but also for some of the younger players in the game. His flashbacks were hard enough to deal with, as his mind continually reverted to thoughts circulating among the real world. _That_ had been of his more recent memories, a 'talk' he'd had with his father.

He looked up, exhaling tiredly. _Funny how we've been fighting all night and when we finally get to rest I can't sleep. _

He knew why, however. The mist, it reminded him of that morning his father had come home, trying to barge back into their lives with his controlling and dominating personality, expecting them to yield to him like they had in the past.

Ikuto sighed, throwing his arm over his eyes as his fists clenched.

It brought him satisfaction, that he could defy his father. He'd directly forbidden him to play Sword Art Online, but Ikuto had anyway. He'd ordered a NerveGear through a friend, and then set it up without anyone knowing.

Of course, the victory was less sweet now that he was trapped here and couldn't leave, but… at least he was away from _him. _

He was, however, worried about Lulu.

He sighed again, trying to relax his mind so that he could get his rest. He knew that by tomorrow, Floor 3 would be filled. He and Tadase had to keep moving.

They had to clear the game.


	7. Chapter 6: Price of Humanity

**Hey everyone. **

**Not only is this chapter late, it's pretty short too. Sorry about that. School got in the way, and I'm trying to balance this story and not make it too rushed. I'm a bit apprehensive about it, so please bare with me.**

**Reviews would be appreciated. Please tell me what you think. Criticism is great. **

**So I've been watching Shugo Chara again, and omg guys, I forgot how amazing it is xD I love it so much. It's such an adorable anime. I want to give them all a hug. And Yoru is just too cute. Dawwwwww. Can I have one? Haha ;) And I'm sorry, I know I'll get killed for this, but Ikuto's transformation makes me laugh. Like, that top, what. and what material is that, leather? It kind of reminds me of seeing Sebastian's heels in Black Butler. I laughed pretty hard at that too. Don't kill me fangirls xD**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Price of Humanity

_February 8__th__, 2023 _

_Floor 1: Black Iron Palace _

"So, this is it, huh?"

"Wow… the Monument of Life."

"Che. How ironic that it's only purpose is to list the dead."

The players gathered around the massive black marble wall, scanning their eyes over the 10,000 names inscribed there.

"So many…" A girl sighed sadly, her eyes ghosting over names crossed out. "So many have died…"

A man rammed his fist into the slab, cursing.

"We'll beat you, Hoshina!" He yelled. "We'll get out of this hell hole and I'll rip you to shreds!"

His teammate placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Red, let's go." She prodded gently.

He sighed, and allowed her to turn him away, the rest of the group following.

"Huh?"

One of the players paused, glancing back at the monument.

His eyes widened.

"G-guys! Come back! Look at this!" He yelled frantically, gesturing to the board.

His friends scampered back to his side, following his finger. They gasped in dismay.

"No way! What's going on?!" One shouted.

One after another, named began quickly crossing off the list.

"Maybe they ran into monsters?" Another asked.

Red shook his head. "No! Impossible! See that guy there? I knew him! He was in a huge guild! They were all really strong…"

They froze, shaking, as the marking finally stopped.

Their eyes were wide in horror, and for a moment, not one of them moved.

"T-twenty…" a girl finally gasped, tears falling from her eyes. "Twenty-one names…"

Red looked down, his bangs falling over his face.

"A whole guild has just been wiped out."

* * *

_Floor 17: Merlock _

"A whole guild? At once, and one that powerful too? Are you sure it wasn't monsters?"

"The place they were targeted was outside of the dungeon, by a forest. There were monsters there, but not any strong enough to take out a guild that strong." Ikuto replied. "They were most definitely attacked."

Tadase slowly lowered himself down on the grass, sitting beside Ikuto. "Wow." He said quietly. "It' been less than half a year here, and already humanity is showing it's true colors."

Ikuto stared thoughtfully up into the sky, stretched out comfortably with his hands folded behind his head as he watched the sunset.

"They had to have been targeted." He stated.

Tadase turned to him, surprised. "Targeted? Well…. I guess that makes sense, if you think about it. No one would attack a guild like the Samurai Soul at random. But, why? Don't they want the game cleared as well?"

Ikuto didn't answer, but instead asked another question.

"You've heard of that player, PoD, right?"

"Yeah." Tadase nodded. "He's the one who's going around saying that PKing is alright, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"You don't think the two could be related, do you?"

"Though the guild had twenty-one players, they were very strong. It'd take a lot of people to defeat them. PoD has been gathering followers, but it's impossible to know how many because of his secretive way of operating. It's safe to assume that he has many, however."

"So he has the resources, and the motive - that it's okay to PK?" The blond looked up, gazing into the orange and pink sky. "I suppose when you look at it that way, it makes sense. Is there anything being done to find this PoD?"

"His name is the only information he's willingly shared with us at the moment. No one knows what he looks like, or where he's hiding. They don't have much to go on."

"How unfortunate." Tadase said. "Hoshina isn't that great of a god, is he?"

"No better than the real one." Ikuto mumbled.

"Do you believe in a god, Ikuto?" Tadase asked curiously, tilting his head. Ikuto rarely talked about his life outside the game.

Ikuto shrugged. "Never really had a reason too."

With that, he turned on his side, facing away from Tadase, curling up.

"I'm going to rest now."

The blond chuckled at his behavior.

"Sleep well, Ikuto." He smiled slightly. His gaze returned to the sky.

_I wonder what else will come from being in this world. _

A slight breeze blew, brushing Tadase's hair away from his face.

_If what Ikuto said is true, that the Samurai Soul was targeted, then perhaps they'll be targeting other higher up guilds?_

_What can come from this? What do they hope to accomplish? _

Tadase flopped onto his back, folding his hands behind his head in a manner similar to Ikuto.

_I don't know what's going to happen in the future. But, we'd best be on our guard._


	8. Chapter 7: Dark Repulser

**I'm back. **

**Yay. **

**I sincerely apologize, I was blind-sided by a wonderful thing known as a "_Standardized Test". _Oh yes, I've been to hell and back. **

**So here I am. I'm going to expand my updating to once every two weeks, for better chapter quality. Thanks for being patient with me as I get this worked out. **

**I had fun writing Nadeshiko in this chapter. Hope it brings you chuckles. **

**Reviews are highly appreciated. It gives me encouragement as well as motivation to write. **

**Do I sound too sarcastic and bored here or is it just me? No? Oh well. Enjoy. **

* * *

Chapter 7: Dark Repulser

_April 15, 2023 _

_Floor 35: Nadeshiko's Blacksmith Shop _

Ikuto pulled open the door, stepping inside the shop's interior.

"Hello?" He drawled as he wandered inside, admiring the various swords and other weapons that adorned the walls and counters.

At his call, a girl came out from one of the side rooms behind the counter. She gave him a gentle, kind smile.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

He stepped up to the counter. "I'd like to see the strongest sword you have."

"Of course." She brightened. "Actually, I just finished one today." She pulled out a very nice looking blade, with ornate details etched upon the hilt. "This is my finest work."

Nodding, he picked it up and examined it. Holding it out, he did a few experimental swings with it.

Wanting to test it, he placed the sword so that only the tip rested on the counter. Pulling out his own black blade, he lifted it, and brought it down.

_Smash! _

Ikuto jumped, his eyes wide, as the smith's sword shattered, the blade snapping in half.

Just as the broken bit was about to land on the floor with a heavy _clatter, _the sword disappeared from his hands in a flurry of sparkles.

He blinked at where the sword had just been, then slowly turned to look at the smith.

Her eyes were wide as well, as she stared at his hands that just moments ago had been holding her finest piece of work.

But, that soon changed.

A mask of rage overtook her features, and she turned her burning eyes to his own, glaring into his soul.

"Sorry – " He began but she interrupted him.

"How _dare _you!" She yelled, her voice dropping a few octaves from the sweet, gentle tone she'd used before. To Ikuto's shock, she pulled out a _wooden naginata _and began swinging it wildly at him.

"YOU _HEATHEN!" _She screamed, continually slashing the weapon at him as he jumped from place to place.

….didn't she know she couldn't hurt him with that anyway? They were in a safe zone!

He swiftly dodged to the side as the weapon came at him again, causing her to ram it into one of her cases, sending splintered wood and swords all over the room.

She brought down the weapon over his head, and he caught it with his hands, trying to hold it away from his face as she tried to skewer him.

**_"_****_BURN IN HELL FOR YOUR CRIMES!" _**

"Nadeshiko!"

They both froze, turning slowly to look at the door. There, stood a wide-eyed pink haired girl, staring incredulously at the pair.

"Amu?" They both muttered simultaneously.

"…what's going on here?" She asked.

Immediately, the naginata disappeared, and Nadeshiko ran towards Amu, her arms wide. She flung herself at the girl, enveloping her in a hug with a wide smile on her face.

"Amu! I missed you so much! how have you been?"

"Tch." Ikuto clicked his tongue as he righted himself, running a hand through his hair. "What a personality change."

Immediately the she-demon returned, whipping around and glaring at him, her eyes sparking and cracking. _"__What did you say?!_"

"Ah…" Amu began, uncertainly looking from the angry eyes of Nadeshiko to the darkened eyes of the bluenette. Finally, she settled on the one she hadn't seen in a long while.

"Ikuto, what are you doing here?"

"You _know _him?" Nadeshiko hissed.

"I was trying to buy a sword." Ikuto replied, ignoring the smith.

"You mean _break _a sword?"

"Nade! Calm down, please!" Amu yelped, patting her friend on the shoulder in a consoling manner.

"Tch! I might _consider _it if he apologizes." The girl replied, though she did seem to calm down a little.

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "I _tried _to before you attacked me."

Amu chuckled nervously. "Nadeshiko, maybe you could let it go, just this one time?"

Nadeshiko twitched. "Amu. It was my best work – "

"_Please? _Just this once?"

The smith sighed.

"Fine."

"Great!" Amu smiled. "Now, on to other things, I brought my guild's weapons so you can repair them."

"Alright, follow me." Nadeshiko lead Amu towards the back. Her elegant manner slowly returning, she turned towards Ikuto. "You still want a sword, right? You can come back too."

Both players followed her as she walked past the counter, opened the side door she'd come through earlier, and let them inside. They stepped into what appeared to be her workplace, stocked with various workbenches, tools, and a large furnace.

"Go ahead and hand over the weapons, Amu, and I can get started." Nadeshiko said, leading the pinkette over to a table.

She nodded, opening her menu and scrolling through the options. Presently, a large pile of weapons appeared on the table.

"Not all of them are terribly low, but since we're going with the other clearing guilds to investigate the big dungeon, we want to repair them now." Amu explained.

Nadeshiko nodded in understanding, examining the swords one by one.

She turned to Ikuto. "That was my strongest sword that you just broke." She said, surprisingly calm about the whole thing. "It's going to take metal a lot stronger than that to make something for your skill level."

Wordlessly, he pressed his thumb and forefinger together, swiping down to open his menu. He navigated to his items and scrolled through the list.

With a flash of blue, a large chunk of metal fell with a _clunk _onto Nadeshiko's workspace.

"How about this?"

The blacksmith scurried over to the object and picked it up, letting out a gasp.

"Crystallite Ingot!" She cried, her eyes sparkling. "The high-grade metal dropped by X'rphan the White Wyrm! How did you get this?!"

"Just did." He shrugged. "Will it work!"

"Yes! This will make an amazing high-level sword. I'll get started immediately."

"Great. How long will it take?"

"The clearing guilds are moving out tomorrow, right?" Nadeshiko asked, examining the ingot. "I'll have it done by then. Stop by tomorrow morning. You too, Amu."

"Okay! See you then, Nade!" Amu called, turning around to catch up to Ikuto who was already walking out the door. She would like to stay and talk with her friend, but she knew that Nade had a lot of work to do and couldn't be distracted.

The smith shop was a little ways out of the village, with a path leading to and from each place. Amu walked beside Ikuto.

"So, you joined a guild?" He asked.

"Yep!" Amu nodded. "I found one right after that boss fight, actually. It was small then, but we're much bigger now. We're going to become an official clearing guild soon."

"Cool."

"What about you?" She asked, curious. "Have you joined a guild yet?"

"No. I don't plan to." He answered shortly. "I play solo."

"But what about Tadase? Is he not with you anymore?"

"Tadase and I are not in any guild or party. No obligations bind us together, we are simply two players that stick around because we feel like it."

Amu smiled. "Alright." She was beginning to understand him.

"What's that creepy smile for?"

Amu froze. "_Creepy?_ My smile isn't _creepy_!"

"Whatever you say."

Amu gritted her teeth. Never mind! This guy was a total jerk! That's what she gets for trying to be _nice _for once -

"So what's your guild called?"

Amu jumped out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

"Your guild. What's the name of it?"

"Oh! Uh, Black Cross." She replied.

"Hm." Ikuto's eyebrows slanted in thought. "Never heard of them."

"What are you talking about?! We're a really well-known guild! We've taken down several bosses!" She yelled indignantly.

He snickered. "I'm just kidding. Yeah, I've heard of them. It doesn't take much to get you riled up, does it?"

"Idiot!" Amu barked, turning away.

Ikuto only laughed.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, eventually reaching the center of the town, a large courtyard. Numerous individuals loitered around, talking amongst each other.

"Are you here for the clearer's meeting?" Amu asked.

"Yup."

"Is Tadase here?"

"No, he had a quest he wanted to finish, so I came ahead. He'll be meeting me here later."

"Okay." She responded. Scanning the crowd, she spotted Kairi talking to a tall blond man. "Well, there's my guild leader. See you later, Ikuto."

He watched as she made her way towards the green-haired player. Despite what he'd told her, he knew quite a bit about the Black Cross. He spent a lot of time gathering information about the various guilds, and made sure that it was up-to-date. That was one of the ways that Tadase came in handy, actually. He had a knack for gaining information.

"Excuse me," A voice called, and Ikuto looked up to see the man Kairi had been speaking to before the crowd. "I would like to have your attention, please, so we can start this meeting."

The players turned their heads towards him, and began crowding around to be able to hear better. Ikuto followed, placing himself about midway in the crowd.

Once everyone had gathered, the man began to speak again. "Hello everyone, and I'd like to thank you for coming. As you may or may not know, I am Tsukasa, guild leader of the White Knights. I have organized this meeting to discuss all of us combining our efforts to clear the dungeon of floor 40. We have reason to believe it will be very hard, as it is large, maze-like and filled with many high-level monsters. As you know, every guild here – "

Ikuto couldn't bring himself to focus on the man's words as he studied Tsukasa's face. He looked so _familiar. _

_I've seen him somewhere before. I know it. _

But how was that possible? The chances of Ikuto knowing anyone in this game were slim, as he didn't care for making many friends or hanging around people very much, besides his sister. But he couldn't shake the feeling. He knew this man.

"I would like to thank everyone for their participation. Please meet me back here tomorrow at 12 for further instructions. Meeting dismissed."

Ikuto zoned back in, realizing that it was over. He turned to slip quickly away, but was stopped by a hand grasping the shoulder of his long black coat.

He didn't turn around, but cast a look over his shoulder, finding Tsukasa behind him.

"You're Ikuto, right? The solo player?" He spoke.

"Yes." Ikuto replied shortly.

The man smiled, his violet eyes lighting up as he did so. "I would like to thank you for joining us, Ikuto-kun. Your participation will surely be appreciated."

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. Kun? Most people simply addressed each other as their player names, without any honorifics.

At length he realized that Tsukasa was waiting for a response.

"It's nothing."

"I admire you, Ikuto-kun. For all the work you've been doing in this game. It brings me hope that we'll be able to escape soon."

Ikuto darted his head forward again. "…yeah."

"Well, thank you again. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, right?"

Ikuto began walking away. "Sure."

He left the courtyard and Tsukasa behind, heading towards a tavern.

He sighed.

_Why is it so hard to get along with anyone besides Tadase? _

_Well, and Amu, I suppose. _

He paused.

_Wait, Amu? _

He looked up at the sky, watching it deepen as stars began to appear.

_Well, I suppose I do tease her a lot, but, it just sort of happens. It's just…easy. _

He glanced back down and shook his head.

_Never mind. I just want to get my sword. _


	9. Chapter 8: Dungeons

**Oh my gosh guys, I am SO sorry for keeping you guys so long. I said I would be updating, and then I didn't. I got writer's block, and then one thing happened after another and I couldn't finish the chapter. Before I knew it, several months had passed and I am really sorry. Well, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, so here's the next one. Not quite as long as the chapters before, but I think it plays out. **

**Now, sadly, this next week I will be getting my wisdom teeth removed, so I might not be able to update for a while. But I will do my best to post the next chapter soon.**

**Thanks for all your patience. Reviews are appreciated. We're almost at 40! Think we can do it? **

* * *

Chapter 8: Dungeons

_April 16, 2023 _

_Floor 33: Black Cross Headquarters _

"Kukai!" Utau bellowed, breaking down the brunet's door, "Get your lazy bum out of bed!"

Said player groaned, rolling over and burying his face into his pillow. "Five more minutes…"

Utau growled, a furious light shining in her eyes.

**_"Kukai…" _**

* * *

Amu sighed, shaking her head at her guild mates' antics.

"Would it kill them to be on time?" Kairi muttered.

"By the sound of it, Utau will kill Kukai for you." Miki added, giving a small snicker.

Amu glanced around, seeing her partners; the original few from when she'd just joined the guild – and now all of the others loitering about the building. The guild had exploded since she'd joined, and now held above 100 players.

"Commander, we're all ready to go." Musashi, a newer member of the guild announced.

A loud _thump _noise drew Amu's attention, and she and Kairi glanced at the staircase. An angry Utau marched drown, dragging a whining Kukai by the ear.

"I'll not be made late by some lazy oaf like you, so get yourself _together _or I'll beat you until you do!" She hissed, continuing to lecture him as she drug him towards the group.

Kairi adjusted his glasses, giving the two a cool glare. "May I inquire as to why you two are late?"

Utau stood up strait, and Kukai quickly jumped to follow her.

"Sorry, Kairi. Kukai wouldn't get out of bed." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Again."

"Kukai, if this happens again I'm making you take all night patrol shifts for the next week, do you understand?"

Kukai sighed, hanging his head. "Yeah. Sorry, Danchou."

"Alright, let's be leaving." Kairi turned towards the door. "We'll arrive just in time as it is."

Amu followed him out, returning Utau's angered glower with a sympathetic smile as she passed.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Amu inhaled the fresh morning air, closing her eyes in bliss as a cool breeze gently brushed her hair away from her face. The town was just beginning to wake up around her, with shop owners opening their stores and merchants preparing for business. Even if they were just NPCs, it was a nice effect.

She hastened to match Kairi's brisk pace as he lead their guild towards the teleportation pad. The many pairs of leather boots softly _thumped _on the ground, signaling the presence of the rest of the guild behind her.

"It may be necessary for our guild to split up during this endeavor." Kairi turned, drilling his cool green eyes into her own. "I will require you to take command of half the guild while I take the remaining group with the rest of the clearers. Understood?"

Amu nodded curtly. "Understood."

Kairi had been impressed with Amu's skills after she'd joined the guild, and had promoted her to second-in-command, which surprised not only her but Utau as well, who complained that as the more experienced player, she should have "obviously" gotten the job. But even the blonde had been surprised at the rate of Amu's quickly growing ability, which skyrocketed along with her determination to beat the game. She could only assume that the pinkette's willpower and capable but positive attitude was the reason why Kairi had chosen her. Honestly, she approved of his choice. Amu did make a very good right-hand man. Er, woman.

They arrived in the center of town, where the clear white marble pedestal stood proudly, awaiting players to step onto it and travel to a different floor. Without any further ado, Kairi stepped onto it, and Amu followed.

"Floor 40." He spoke calmly, almost monotonously.

Amu glanced at him as a blue light flared up, filling and possessing her vision. Though Kairi's nature was naturally quiet, he seemed to have gotten even more somber over the months she'd been in the guild. She was concerned. What was bothering him? Could the stress be weighing on him? Was he bothered by the life he'd left behind?

The light dimmed, and Amu found herself surveying the plane of Floor 40.

Kairi stepped off the pad and strode forward, the other guild members arriving out of the teleportation quickly marching after him. He lead them towards the dungeons, a few players giving the large guild passing glances.

Eventually, after they passed through the town and into the land surrounding it, they came upon a large, gaping hole in the ground. The entrance to the dungeons.

"Ah, Kairi." Tsukasa greeted, stepping away from a few other players he was speaking with. "Glad you and your guild could make it."

Kairi nodded. "Tsukasa." He greeted back. "I trust that we aren't late."

"Nope, you're just in time." Tsukasa returned good-naturedly. "We'll begin in just a moment. Would you like to follow me so that we can have a quick meeting with the guild leaders?"

Kairi nodded and with a quick look to Amu, followed Tsukasa into the crowd.

"Ugh, I hope they hurry up." Utau groaned, coming to stand next to Amu. "I wanna hurry up and fight already!"

Amu allowed a light smile to appear on her face. "Yeah."

"Amu-chan!" She heard a voice call, and she turned to see a familiar blond headed her way.

"Oh," she said, turning. "Hello Tadase."

"Hello," he replied, smiling, "It's nice to see you again. How are you?"

She nodded. "I'm doing well." Turning to see Utau's questioning look, she gestured to her friend. "This is Utau, my…" She paused.

"Best friend." Utau stated, reaching out and giving Tadase's hand a firm shake. "I'm her best friend."

Amu gave a small smile. "Right."

Tadase nodded, giving a smile. "It's nice to meet you. It'll be nice to work with you again, Amu-chan."

Said girl nodded, and with a farewell Tadase disappeared into the crowd.

"When did you meet him?" Utau asked.

"Way back during the first boss fight." Amu said. "He was one of my partners."

"I think he's the only one I've heard use honorifics. It's weird." The blonde stated bluntly. Amu gave her an amused look.

"Hey, Amu!" Kukai yelled. She turned, coming to face the brunet. "Make sure I'm on your team, okay? I wanna fight with you guys!"

"Me and Miki too!" Yoru yelled, waving his arms gleefully.

"We don't get to pick who we go with." Miki commented dryly, quieting the two rowdy boys.

"Ugh," Kukai groaned. "You must be fun at parties."

"Pessimists aren't any fun." Yoru agreed, shaking his head. Miki's eye twitched.

"Shut up!" She began to yell, when suddenly Kairi appeared before them. The blue-haired player immediately sealed her mouth shut.

"We're about ready to move out. Please assemble yourselves in an orderly fashion." He commanded.

By _orderly fashion, _every member in the guild had learned by experience that that meant lining up military style, shoulder-to-shoulder in strait lines of eight players each. Amu, mercifully saved from the formation due to her status as second-in-command, chuckled dryly as she went to stand beside her commander.

_So Kairi is a military man. _She remembered thinking when he first introduced the order. _Go figure. _

Though Kairi did get many compliments on how well-managed his guild was, Amu found nothing appealing about being lined up like toy soldiers. She'd mentioned her thoughts to Kairi, but he firmly insisted that he would have it no other way, so she dropped the issue. Besides, as Utau had brought up, it wasn't that big of an issue in the long run.

"Are we going to be splitting up into two groups?" Amu asked, reigning her thoughts back to the present.

"No. Each guild will be taking a sector of the dungeon, and we will send out a message if the boss room is located."

Amu nodded, showing she understood. "So, do you want me to bring up the back?" She asked.

"Actually, no." Kairi said, turning to her. He held a mysterious light in his eyes, and Amu arched an eyebrow, slightly apprehensive at the look.

"…what do you mean?" She asked.

"There are a few guild-less players." He said. "They wanted to go by themselves, but Tsukasa insisted that they take some people with them, so no one will be alone. So, they're taking a few guilds and having them each send a player. I'm sending you."

"B-but why?" Amu stuttered. "Why don't you send someone else?"

"This isn't a punishment. Quite the contrary, actually. I'm sending you because I know you can take care of yourself and that I won't have to worry about you."

She sighed, realizing that he wasn't angry with her for some reason she didn't know. "Alright." She said. "Where do I meet them?"

"Go to the entrance. They're going in first." He said, and she nodded.

"I'll contact you if anything happens." She said as she turned away, and he nodded.

As she made her way through the various crowds, Amu wondered who the player could be.

_Could it be him…? He said he was coming, and he doesn't have a guild. I can only imagine how annoyed he'll be that he has to have others tag along. _She chuckled at the thought.

However, as she arrived at the entrance, her smile immediately dropped as she laid eyes on the one person she _didn't _want to see.

"Oh, Amu. How nice to see you." The voice greeted, not sounding happy to see her at all.

The player she'd been sent to assist was Ikuto all right, but the player standing between him and Tadase was also someone she knew. Unfortunately.

Amu forced a smile onto her face.

"Hello, Saaya."


	10. Chapter 9: The Numa Flower

**Hello everyone! It's been a while. I apologize, time got away from me and I had writer's block. I've rewritten this chapter a few times, but it's here now! Next chapter starts a new arc! I was hoping for a Christmas update, but that didn't happen, so...**

**Happy New Year's Eve! :D**

**Enjoy the story! Please review, it keeps me motivated! :)**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Numa Flower

_April 15, 2023 _

_Floor 40: Dungeons _

Amu sighed for what felt like the thousandth time as once again, Saaya leapt in front of her, cutting her off to take the monster instead of letting the pinkette take it. She'd been doing this since they'd first met and it was starting to really wear on her.

She'd met the player several months back during one of her side quests – they were doing the same one - and though she tried to be nice the girl quite obviously stated that she didn't like Amu. Well that was all fine and well, but then she started stalking her about the field and right before Amu was about to engage a monster, dashed ahead of her and took it herself. So after a long day, Amu left the field exhausted and without any points to show for her hard work. All in all it took her much longer to complete her quest and as a result she'd been late for an event for her guild Kairi had wanted her to be at.

Then, she'd practically blown up when Saaya had shown up on her doorstep and announced that she wanted to join their guild.

Luckily, Kairi was an intuitive, reasonable man, and he graciously declined the player's request and sent her away. The girl had left in a rage, and it'd been her mission to make trouble for Amu ever since.

As Saaya finished the beast off, Tadase kindly spoke up.

"Saaya-san," he said, "Perhaps it's best if you work with a different partner than Amu-chan. I think your skills would be best matched up with another player."

The girl huffed. "Why not? Amu's no good, she's only slowing me down."

Amu closed her eyes and counted down from ten in her head.

_Don't hit her, don't hit her. _

Tadase chuckled nervously, sending Amu an apologetic look. "Well then – "

"I'll take Amu."

All three players started, and turned to see Ikuto emerging out of a nearby tunnel, his sword grasped in his hand.

"Ikuto-kun, are you sure?" Tadase asked. "Why don't you take Saa – "

"I said, I'll take Amu." He strode forward and grabbed Amu's arm before towing her back towards the tunnel he'd come out of.

"Hey, hold up!" Amu yelled, just as Tadase tried to speak up.

"Where are you going, Ikuto?" He asked, and Amu felt a stab of pity for him. His eyes were begging. _Don't leave me with her! _Was his unspoken plea. She had to look away from his puppy eyes.

"Away." Ikuto said shortly. "Have fun."

As they rounded the bend into the tunnel, Amu tugged her arms out from Ikuto's grip. "Hey, wait a second!"

Ikuto paused, and turned to her, lifting an eyebrow. "What?"

She growled. "What do you mean 'what'?! You can't just drag me off like that! Especially not without asking me!"

His lips quirked into a sort of dubious smirk, and then he said "Very well then, Amu, would you like to join me on a quest?"

She snorted.

"I suppose so."

His smirk changed a little bit more towards a smile, and he turned and headed off down the tunnel, Amu walking at his side.

Until she realized they were taking the tunnel that lead outside.

"Hey, wait up – where are you going?! That's _away _from the dungeons, you idiot!"

He only grabbed her hand and kept walking ignoring her protests.

"Hey, where are you going?!"

"Come on," he said, I'll show you how to really appreciate the game."

For the moment she ignored how creepy that sounded to focus on more important matters.

_Was it a mistake to go with this guy after all? _

* * *

He'd dragged her into a town.

_A town._

While they were supposed to be with everyone else, clearing the dungeons so that they could clear the game as soon as possible, he brought her here so they could laze off?

"This is your first time playing, right?"

Confused by the random topic, she looked up at him with a questioning expression, but answered anyway. "Yes."

"What do you think of the graphics?"

"Uh, they're amazing but – "

"What's it like to fight?"

"it's cool I guess – "

"The food?" He pressed on.

"I haven't really been paying attention."

He nodded. "Exactly."

Her brow furrowed. "What?"

He nodded to the town and people they were passing, and Amu noticed the traffic was growing unusually heavy. "Here you are, experiencing some of the best technology man has to offer today. Never before have we been able to do a full-dive such as this, able to fully immerse ourselves in a fantasy of our own creation. But because of what Hoshina's done, you've lost sight of the positive aspects of this game and can only see the negative."

Amu stared at him, at a loss for what he was trying to indicate.

"Have you been to Floor 22?"

"Of course." She replied shortly.

"Have you ever seen the Numa flower? It only blooms at sunset."

"Who cares about that?!" She growled. "We're trying to survive, we don't have time to be looking at flowers!"

"When was the last time you slept properly?"

Amu paused, stumped.

She took a deep breath as Ikuto eyed her expectantly, starting to see where his trail of questions was leading.

"….It's been a while." She answered finally, her voice quiet.

He nodded, and they continued walking in silence.

They rounded the last bend of buildings and made it to the center of town, the transportation pad beckoning with a blue glow. Ikuto led them to it, and together they stepped onto the raised surface.

"Floor 22." He spoke, and the town around them disappeared.

As the landscape materialized in their sight, Amu's eyes widened in surprise. She'd been to this field – many times, of course, during clearing – but she'd never noticed just how _pretty _it was, nor had she noticed the beautiful white lilies beginning to bloom all across the field.

Floor 22, Field of Blooms, was aptly named. The landscape was nothing but a large flower field, and roses and blossoms of all kinds made their home here, completely covering most of the surface of the ground.

"Are those the Numa flowers?" She asked, gesturing to the white blooms, which seemed to be glowing.

"Yes." He replied, quietly picking one. "They're stocked with all kinds of healing properties and benefits, so you might want to pick one or two. You're only allowed to take a few at a time."

She nodded and followed suite, plucking a few of the flowers and stowing them in her inventory.

After she was done, Ikuto turned back towards the path. "Follow me," he said, and she did.

He led her to a hill – a cliff, more like it – with not much more than a lone tree adorning the surface. The tree was tall, with a wide trunk, the branches reaching out to cover as much distance as possible. The cliff dropped off shortly afterward, giving the place a majestic view of the flower fields and the setting sun.

He sat down by the tree, facing the bright sunset in the distance.

_Might as well, _Amu thought with a sigh, and seated herself beside him.

Neither of them spoke for a while, and they simply watched the sun sink into down into the sky in a flurry of colors.

"It's beautiful," Amu breathed, "even if it's fake."

"It _is_ beautiful." He agreed, making no comment on the 'fake' element.

Amu turned to him, determined to get answers regarding his strange behavior.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked.

He shrugged. "You looked like you were tired and needed some time to yourself. Away from all the fighting."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't need time away from fighting. In fact, I should be there right now! And it's only natural I'm tired. I'll be able to rest later. You should be fighting too! Don't you want to leave?"

"I do." He replied. "But taking small breaks won't affect our winning in the long run."

"Well most of us want to get out of here as quickly as possible! And not a moment sooner!"

"As do I." He replied.

"Then why are you slacking off?!"

He finally tore his gaze away from the sky and eyed her, his eyes changed from the relative warmth of earlier to a more cold, chilly blue.

"I joined this game to escape from the reality I'm cursed with. And it's still going to be that for me, no matter what the creator or anyone else says."

"How can you be free when he owns your life?"

He focused on her, his eyes boring into her own.

"Take charge of your own story. Don't let him win. He thinks he can control us, but he doesn't own us as much as he thinks he does."

"There's a good chance most of us will die." Amu's gaze sharpened into a narrow glare. "Neither of us might make it through, Ikuto."

He paused.

Breaking eye contact, he turned his gaze back to the sunset, his face taking on a more melancholy appearance.

"I don't want to be owned." He said quietly. "I'm tired of having other people try to control my life. I'm sick of being manipulated. So that's why I've decided, I'm going to do what I want for once. Even in a world of his own making, as a god, Hoshina won't control me. Even if I die, I'll die as my own person."

Amu stayed quiet, looking at him in awe.

"In the end, even if we beat this game, we won't win. We'll only have been puppets to him. But I won't let that happen."

Amu turned her focus back to the sunset, watching as the colors faded into a night black.

"You act as if you know him personally."

He turned to face her. "Hm?"

"You talk as if you understand his motives and why he did this. It's almost as if you know him personally."

He snorted. "I do, in a way I suppose."

Neither said anything more for a while.

The colors faded totally from the sky, turning it an inky black. Stars appeared, dotting the darkness like lanterns, twinkling pleasantly in the night. Amu glanced up, spotting the moon as a light breeze started up, gently blowing her hair. She was struck again by just how _real _this game felt. The attention to detail was astounding, and she could _feel _and _see _so much….

"Why did you share that with me?" She asked. "It's not that I don't care, it's just that…. That seemed really personal."

He sighed, leaning forward to place his chin on his knees as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Amu said nothing, but gave him a smile of gratitude.

If he saw it, he made no move to return it.

"Well."

"What is it now?"

"We had our break. Shouldn't we be getting back?"

"….Probably."

* * *

**I figured it was due time to respond to a few reviews. Thank you to all my darling reviwers, faves, and followers! You're fabulous! And don't worry, I'll keep this brief.**

**QueenOfMusicLeea: Thank you so much! I thought the same thing, though I've switched up the roles a bit! Thank you for your follow! *gobbles food***

**Tsuki Azure Wings: Yes! Though this is the first chapter I've really been able to spend building their relationship, it will be an Amuto! Much more action to come :)**

** Life. like .roses: Thank you very much! I try to update as soon as I can :)**

**Be Happy. Be Healthy. 4ever: Thank you very much! It has been a while, I apologize! But thank you for your reviews and comments! And haha yep, same! Though sometimes I wish I was a gamer, I see this and think nahhhhh :P**

**Goodbye until next time!**


End file.
